A court in southern Cairo has released on 30 October the author of a book criticising the Egyptian government’s economic policies and the owner of the print shop that published it, more than a week after they were arrested on charges of publishing false news. Days before Abdul Khalik Farouk’s arrest on 21 October, local media have reported that draft copies of his book “Is Egypt Really a Poor Country?” were seized by authorities from a publisher. Farouk described his arrest as part “of a campaign against freedom of expression” and said the confiscation of his book was an act of “security intimidation” which is illegal under Egyptian laws. Since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi came to power in 2014, Egypt has seen a crackdown on dissent that activists say is unprecedented in its modern history. Farouk’s arrest was the latest in a campaign against journalists, rights activists and government critics that have drawn wide condemnation from international rights groups.